1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope system in which a cover type endoscope used with an endoscope cover being mounted and an endoscope used without an endoscope cover being mounted, are selectively connectable.
2. Related Art and Prior Art Statement
In recent years, an endoscope has widely been used in a medical field of art and an industrial field of art. For example, an endoscope which is used in the medical field of art has an inserting section which is inserted into a body cavity so as to be able to observe internal organs and the like, or which uses a disposition or treatment instrument or tool inserted into a treating-instrument channel in the endoscope, so as to be able to perform various medical cares or treatments and dispositions or treatments. For this reason, in an endoscope system, various peripheral devices or units for endoscope inspection have been used in accordance with objects and uses of inspection.
In the endoscope system which includes the peripheral units for endoscope inspection which are used for various objects and uses, it becomes much more an important or serious problem not only that the endoscope system is useful for the insertion, but also how it is possible to reduce the inspection cost. Particularly, in the medical field of art, reduction of the medical cost is the great problem. Until now, various proposals have been performed for reduction in inspection cost.
For example, there is restraint in unit or device purchase cost, as one proposal for reduction of the inspection cost.
A CCD which is arranged at a forward end of an inserting section of an electronic endoscope which projects a color endoscope image on a screen of a monitor unit has conventionally had two systems including a surface sequential type and a concurrent or simultaneous type. The CCD of the surface sequential type is adequate for observing fine lesion parts, because it is possible to produce an image high in resolution. The CCD of the simultaneous type is adequate for observation of internal organs which performs peristalsis, or the like, because the CCD of simultaneous type can produce an image which is less in blurring. For this reason, in a case where a user who has endoscopes different in system from each other uses properly the endoscopes in accordance with an inspection object, it has been required to prepare systems which include not only the endoscopes of two systems, but also video processors which are respectively adapted to the systems.
In view of the above, in order to solve the above-discussed problem, a video processor which copes with any of the surface sequential type and the concurrent type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,773. The video processor is purchased whereby the necessity has been gone which purchases a system including the video processors which cope or correspond respectively with or to the systems. Thus, the unit purchase cost of the user can be reduced, and a space of an inspection room can effectively be utilized, because it is sufficient with a single video processor and a single accompanying or attendant system.
Further, as an another proposal for reduction in the inspection cost, there is one in which the number of uses of the endoscope per one day increases so that an inspecting cost per once is reduced.
Generally, in a case where an endoscope which has once been used for or in inspection and treatment within a body cavity is again used for the other patients, disinfection chemicals, an ethylene oxide gas and the like must be used to perform washing or cleaning and disinfection of the endoscope after completion of the inspection and the treatment, in order to prevent infection between the patients through the endoscope from occurring. However, since about one hour is required for sufficiently disinfection of the endoscope which is provided with fine lines or the like, the cleaning and disinfection time becomes a dead time. When it is assumed that the in inspecting time per once is about five (5) hours, only four (4) persons can be inspected per a single day by a single endoscope, if it is assumed that the endoscope inspecting time per once is fifteen (15) minutes.
In view of the above, in order to solve the above-discussed problem, if a plurality of endoscopes are prepared, and if the endoscopes which have been cleaned and disinfected are used during the cleaning and disinfection time, inspection of twenty (20) persons per five (5) hours is made possible by subsequent use of five (5) endoscopes when the inspecting time is 15 (fifteen) minutes and the cleaning time is one (1) hour. In this case, however, there occurs a problem that it costs for purchasing five (5) endoscopes.
In view of the above, U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,722 has proposed a throwaway or disposable endoscope sheath (hereinafter referred to as "endoscope cover"). The endoscope cover is arranged such that the endoscope cover covers an endoscope inserting section before inspection, an endoscope covered by the endoscope cover is inserted into a body cavity, the endoscope cover which has covered the endoscope inserting section is discarded after completion of the inspection and treatment, and a new endoscope cover is covered on the endoscope and is used for subsequent inspection. By the use of the endoscope cover, it is possible to bring the cleaning and disinfection time (one hour) only to a cover replacement or exchange time (ten (10) minutes). Specifically, since twenty-five (25) minutes which is the sum of the endoscope inspecting time of fifteen (15) minutes and the cover replacement time of ten (10) minutes forms a single cycle, it is possible to perform inspection of twelve (12) persons per five (5) hours only by a single endoscope. Thus, it is possible to considerably reduce the inspecting cost with respect to the endoscope use per once.
However, in a case where the above-described disposable endoscope cover is applied to all of the endoscope inspections, the cost of the endoscope cover is generated every inspection, and it is not preferable in view of environmental maintenance or preservation to treat the endoscope cover as industrial waste or refuse. Thus, it has been desired to reduce the industrial waste even in a minor way.
In view of the above, we propose that, in order to make an attempt to reduce the inspection cost, two types of endoscopes including an endoscope which is reused while being cleaned and disinfected without the endoscope cover being mounted (hereinafter referred to as "reuse type endoscope") and an endoscope which is used with an endoscope cover being mounted thereon (hereinafter referred to as "cover type endoscope") are suitably combined with each other so as to be used in inspection.
Specifically, the cover type endoscope is used twice in a dead time in which the reuse type endoscope is cleaned and disinfected, whereby a field of practical use of the reuse type endoscope which is low in running cost can be formed. Further, the endoscopes of two types are suitably combined with each other, whereby thirteen (13) persons can be inspected for about five (5) hours, and the number of use of the endoscope cover can be reduced to 2/3. Thus, it is possible to cope with inspection cost and an environmental problem.
However, in an endoscope system for performing endoscope inspection, peripheral tools or equipments and materials for endoscope inspection such as a light source unit, a video processor, a fluid control unit, treatment equipments, forceps plugs, mouth pieces, inserting auxiliary equipments or the like are required in addition to an endoscope.
For this reason, in the reuse type endoscope system, it is an assumption that cleaning and disinfection of the endoscope are carried out every cases. Thus, various devices or contrives are carried out in order to improve detachable workability or operability between the endoscope and the peripheral equipments for the endoscope. Accordingly, the structure is complicated and is large-sized. Elements or members which can be born against repeated use are used in a treating-equipment inserting channel into which a treatment equipment is inserted, and a forceps-plug detachable or mounting and demounting portion.
Meanwhile, in the cover type endoscope system, since the number of mounting and demounting between an endoscope body and peripheral equipments for endoscope inspection decreases drastically, simplification, small-sizing and reduction in cost are desired more than improvement in the mounting and demounting operability. Accordingly, it becomes a preference or priority problem to reduce the cost and to reduce, in outer diameter, the inserting section more than durability to alleviate a burden of a patient.
In this manner, in the conventional endoscope system, the structure of the peripheral equipments for endoscope inspection, which are used in the reuse type endoscope system, and the structure of the peripheral equipments for endoscope inspection, which are used in the cover type endoscope system are arranged respectively under the original or unique backgrounds. Accordingly, in order to use the endoscopes of two types, in mixture, in single-day inspection, it has been required to correspondingly replace or exchange also the peripheral equipments for endoscope inspection together with the endoscope. Thus, in a case where a replacement time of these equipments, and the like is also taken into consideration, an operational method in which the cover type endoscope is used in the dead time in which the reuse type endoscope is cleaned and disinfected, has been very difficult in view of actuality or reality.